How to Cook Perfect Quinoa & 10 Quinoa Recipes

I like to consider myself a quinoa expert. I have cooked a lot of it for my cookbook. Small amounts, or lots at once, with spices and greens, or without—I’ve done it all. The standard quinoa cooking method started failing me early on. My quinoa was mushy and overdone, every time, and it was driving me nuts.

I tried using slightly less water than usual, which has been recommended elsewhere. It helped a little sometimes, but other times, I had to add more and more water while the quinoa was cooking. Then, the dry quinoa soaked up way too much of the dressing I added later.

At some point, I wondered, why do all the quinoa recipes suggest covering the quinoa while cooking? My quinoa was all overcooked and mushy, so covering it seemed like the last thing I should do.

Bingo! For perfectly fluffy quinoa, use twice as much water as quinoa, as usual, then cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Smaller amounts of quinoa require less time, naturally.

Once the water is all absorbed, remove the pot from heat, cover it and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. That’s when the quinoa pops open into fluffy quinoa perfection, and that is how to cook quinoa properly. I’ve gotten quite a few questions from you guys about how to avoid mushy quinoa, so I just had to share. I typed up the full recipe and instructions for you below.

Learn how to cook perfect quinoa, every time. I've tried all the other quinoa cooking methods and this one works best. It's easy to cook fluffy quinoa when you know the right way to do it!

Ingredients

1 part uncooked quinoa (e.g. 1 cup quinoa—any color will do—you will end up with three times as much cooked quinoa as dry)

2 parts water (e.g. 2 cups water)

Salt, to taste (around ¼ teaspoon salt per cup of quinoa)

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa: Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander and rinse under running water for at least 30 seconds. Drain well. This step removes any bitterness on the outside of the quinoa (caused by naturally occurring saponins).

Combine the rinsed quinoa and water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat a bit to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 to 20 minutes (small amounts of quinoa will be ready closer to 10 minutes; larger amounts between 15 to 20). Reduce heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer.

Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop open into little curlicues, so it's nice and fluffy. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Season with salt, to taste, unless you’re proceeding with another recipe as written.

Notes

Serving suggestions: I love to stir a drizzle of olive oil and clove of garlic into warm quinoa for extra flavor. Other options include chopped fresh spinach or arugula, or massaged kale. Fresh herbs and/or dried spices are nice, as well as grated or crumbled cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pitted and sliced olives, etc.Storage suggestions: Leftover quinoa keeps well, refrigerated, for 4 to 5 days. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature before covering and chilling.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate!

Wait, what is quinoa?

In case you haven’t encountered quinoa yet, it is a pseudocereal that grows near the Andes in South America. By pseudocereal, I mean that it is grain-like, but it’s technically not a grass like wheat. Quinoa is pronounced KEEN-wah, although my dad likes to tease me by calling it queh-NO-ah.

Quinoa is very nutritious—it’s full of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, including manganese, magnesium and folate. Quinoa’s health benefits are really too long to list here, but the key point is that quinoa is remarkably dense in nutrients, and worth including in your diet.

You can buy quinoa in most grocery stores these days, usually in the health section or near the rice. You can also buy quinoa online at Amazon.

10 Favorite Quinoa recipes

“This was so good! I’ve been trying to find one dish recipes that can also feed baby and this was perfect! I was almost too lazy to make the breadcrumbs but I’m so glad I did because it was simple and and so worth it! I also used a bit of cauliflower because I had it and it was good in there too. I think I’m going to make this again and bring it to Easter! It’s a perfect healthier version of a classic!” – Stephanie

“This is one of my favorite dishes ever! Followed the instructions (first time ever was not inspired to change anything) and enjoyed a yummy dinner with my partner, twice now. He loved it as well! Thanks for sharing and good luck! :)” – Dessi

“I just found this recipe via pinterest! I made the soup yesterday and I absolutely love it!! Never thought of quinoa in soup but this makes so much sense! I am always looking for ways to add protein without adding meat so this is great and my whole family loves it! (I’m a college student by the way, not a mom, in case you couldn’t tell. lol) This soup is great for all ages!!” – Maya

“We made this for dinner 2 hours ago and can’t stop talking about it! OMG! It was so delicious and full of flavor and it was easy to make. My kids loved it, too. We already can’t wait to make it again :) thank you so much!” – Tiffany

“Made this last night; first time cooking with quinoa, and it turned out great! Added in the chickpeas, and didn’t have ground ginger so subbed in mixed spice. Will be making again, for sure; regularly, most likely. Thank you for sharing the recipe!” – Jamie

I love a simple post full of helpful tips. I cook quinoa all the time and use it in so many ways. It is the perfect blank slate for all types of goodies. I am lazy and make mine in a rice cooker! Loving the spinach and berry quinoa – one of my favorite salads.

That’s how I make my quinoa as well. I’ll use homemade veggie broth in place of the water though (when its on hand). Place it in my rice cooker along with veggies to steam in the steamer basket. It has not failed me yet, not even once.

Honestly, your recipes are so appealing. I’ve shared your site with my sister and she’s made some of your recipes and loves them, too! You should win Best Blogger! (check out the comment you posted under #5)

This was timely. I have a big bag of quinoa and only a little bit of money to make groceries stretch for the rest of the week. So I was hoping to happen upon at least one or two quinoa recipes today. BUT LOOK! TEN! I’m going to make that Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa salad for sure.

That’s a great tip! I make quinoa all the time, and it usually comes out mushy when I make any more than 1 cup at a time. I’m definitely going to try this next time (already have a few cups’ worth in the fridge for lunch this week). Thanks for the suggestion!

Thank you for your super helpful post. I have always used the standard method and it usually comes out okay but sometimes not, especially depending on the amount of quinoa I am cooking.

So I look forward to trying out your newer method…and wouldn’t it be nice to be able to count on fluffy, perfectly cooked quinoa EVERY time you make it?! There’s enough science experiments coming out of the kitchen at any given day, so fail safe cooked quinoa would be a breath of fresh air! Thank you!

I have made the Broccoli, Cheddar & Quinoa Gratin probably ten times since you posted the recipe! It’s perfect! So easy and delicious and totally satisfies my need for a heavy or comfort food with a healthier option. I found my way over to your original Brussels Sprout recipe and made that, too. I am constantly making this recipe, often with varying veggies and/or cheese depending on what I have in the house. I’m so glad to have found this recipe!

I’ve ALWAYS had trouble cooking quinoa and I never understood why it was so hard. This blog post came at just the right time! I need qunioa for a recipe I’m cooking tonight. Thanks so much for the helpful tips!

Thanks for this helpful post, Kate. My quinoa turns out OK but almost always boils over when I turn away to prep something else! One of my favorite pairings is quinoa and tahini. Have you tried it with roasted winter veggies? Heavenly.

Yes, agree no one likes mushy quinoa! I often cook it the same way I do pasta, with a surplus of water and then drain in a fine mesh strainer when the quinoa is done. I’ll have to give your method a try too!

The broccoli, cheddar and quinoa gratin is an amazing recipe. I followed instructions to a T, With the exception of a 9×9 baking dish. I used a lovely ceramic oval dish which was the perfect size. Easy and so delicious! This can be served as the main dish (which I did with a beautiful homegrown side salad), or as a side with just about anything. Thank you so much. I’m a happy cook :)

I have also tried boiling it for ten minutes, then strain and steam for ten minutes ( with a cloth over the strainer and topped with a lid. It’s always fluffy!
By the way, this blog is insane! Everything I’ve made is so yummy!!

Kate, I live in Kansas City too. Have you considered calling every quinoa company that has cooking instructions on their package, and tell them a better way to cook their product? If they listen and learn, they might change their packaging and help millions who buy their product. Then you will have helped millions of people around the world!

Hi, KC Robert! That’s a really good idea. I wish I had the time; I can barely keep my blog going while I work on my cookbook! I’m hoping to hear back from more readers to make sure this works just right in their kitchens, too.

Here is my tip for perfect quinoa, or rice, every time. Cook it in a skillet with a lid, Mexican style. You just toast your 1 cup of quinoa for a few min in the skillet over medium heat, tossing it. When evenly toasted, add 2 c. water, a tbs of olive oil, maybe some vegetable boullion, clove of garlic. Stir, bring to boil and then reduce heat to lowest possible flame and put lid on. 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, quinoa is open and starts to stick. Fluff with fork – works every time. For Mexican rice add a few tbs of tomato paste and some oregano, etc. My mother in law taught me how to make rice this way and ever since then it never made sense to me to cook rice or quinoa in a small deep pan. The thin layer is magic ;)

This method works perfectly! Wonder why all the cooking directions are so wrong! There was always left over water that was not absorbed and I always follow directions! So glad you discovered this method. It was perfectly. Thanks Kate!

Kate, I just tried your method for cooking quinoa and it worked beautifully! Fluffy and spirally and perfect! Thanks so much for sharing the process as well as all these gorgeous recipes that I’m now inspired to try. Now my quandary is choosing which one to try first… what a horrible problem to have! :-)

I’ve been cooking quinoa on and off for many years. I usually drop it into boiling water so that it sprouts immediately. But it has almost always been mushy so I hadn’t made it in awhile. With siblings, children, and grandchildren wanting a healthy alternative to pasta, I looked up recipes to find out quinoa/water ratio and cooking time. Found your site and used your basic recipe. The quinoa turned out delicious and FLUFFY. I added a little EVOO and Parmesan cheese and served it with baked chicken and onions. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe (sent them to your site). Yay. Will make it a lot more often now — and try some of your other recipes with it. Many thanks for all the testing work you put in.

I’ve been trying to cook the perfect quinoa for years and have failed every time! It’s either been too mushy or too dry and ends up getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Will try this method and hopefully it will up my quinoa game!

The information on how to cook quinoa was most excellent! My first try came out perfect. I served it with steamed broccoli and roasted turkey with gravy. Thanks so very much for simplifying the process.

We tried the recipe with the broccoli and cheese and my three kids actually loved it. Thank you or the recipes. I have just been diagnosed with heart disease and this site has been helpful to alter our diet.

So… it’s basically just like rice – one + two = three. But cooking time is far shorter. I have two bags of white quinoa i bought bulk at Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati, been looking for straight-forward sensible instruction how to cook it! Looks like I found it!
I’m wondering is it just as good with fresh berries as oatmeal is? Also, can you do quinoa like overnight oats in a jar? Is there an adjustment in the amount of water and would you still need to cook it? I’ve taken jars of overnight oatmeal to work and simply heated in the microwave – would quinoa come out ok this way?